Groups

Modular software & programmingMaxMSP, Reaktor, Pure Data, Jeskola BUZZ, and other modular programs. Any questions relating to these programs (patching, favorite ensembles) should be posted in this forum.

Don't get me wrong i searched a lot on the web and to other forums with the same questions, but i got confused. I don't want a book that concentrates on a specific synthesizer. I want something that will teach me in general about sound synthesis. A book that will first explain terminologies then on how to create sounds etc. Thanks in advance

I'm sure there must be a ton of books out there on the subject and I'm kinda surprised you didn't get a few suggestions worth following up. Sorry..I don't have any book titles off the top of my head, but I can suggest a good website that offers more or less the exact thing you're looking for..though, obviously, not in book form. [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click here to register] is a good starting point for anyone wanting to learn about synthesis and the creation of electronic music, with a number of lessons on offer that you can work your way through or dip in wherever and whenever you want.

So much to learn, if you are starting from the beginning. That site breaks things up into more manageable chunks, so it's worth picking up on, say, subtractive synthesis for instance, and learning a bit about that first. Especially so much emphasis on all stuff "analogue" lately.

I know you don't want specific videos, but there's a wonderful VHS rip of an 80's tutorial on subtractive synthesis as a whole floating around on YT that's not hard to find (can't post links). It's comprehensive, and probably runs for about an hour.

you add harmonic to root sine wave or remove one if theres its too much of em and it sounds like ass, thats your tutorial to synthesis, w\o having to read 600 pages of bullshit

i am not even mad hahah. I do experiment man and make some cool sounds dont get me wrong but i want to be able to create a sound that is in my mind easy and not just experiment and make something similarish, if that is your point. cheers

Sound Synthesis in Java - Evan X. Merz.
Its totally free, you can find it on the web. There's an introduction about theory of sound synthesis and the code for making own synthesiser or sequencer in Java. I've made few own programs thanks to it, it's a good source of basic information for someone interested in programing.

Sound Synthesis in Java - Evan X. Merz.
Its totally free, you can find it on the web. There's an introduction about theory of sound synthesis and the code for making own synthesiser or sequencer in Java. I've made few own programs thanks to it, it's a good source of basic information for someone interested in programing.

Thanks for the recommendation..hadn't even heard of that one, but I'll certainly check it out, as I'm currently looking into building my own VST.

If you use Max/MSP, there's the Electronic Music and Sound Design books, volumes 1 and 2. I have the first one, and have read into it a little. It's very much like a textbook, with examples and things you're supposed to try out, so it's not exactly all a book you can just read, but more something you get to work in Max/MSP and do what it's doing to kinda get what's going on. It was kinda alright tho.

Also, the Computer Music Tutorial goes into all kinds of different synthesis techniques, programming, lots of stuff. It's basically a book of a whole bunch of essays on Computer Music. It is quite a big book, over 1000 pages I believe (I've read about 1/3 of my copy), but it has lots of stuff in it that's pretty good if you don't mind the technical material that is also on the programming side and can sit down and read through it all. Also, I've seen some pdf's of it floating around...